Summertime focus on foliage

In my part of the world, heat combined with a prolonged dry period, results in a fair number of torched and shriveled plants by late summer.  While some will come back, many will give up.  In prior years, I've spent a lot of time trying to minimize the losses by supplementing the twice weekly run of our irrigation system with hand-watering but for a variety of reasons I haven't done that this summer.  I hope I'll find suitable replacements for the plants that perish but yesterday I decided to focus on what looked good, which in general meant foliage plants.

Most of the photos I snapped were in our front garden, which I suppose makes sense as I want the front garden to make a good impression year round and therefore I rely more heavily on shrubs in the front garden.

My husband removed the very dead Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike' in the front garden when I was down with COVID and the 'Multicolor' Agaves and Aloe labworana, previously half-buried under the tall shrub, appreciate the change

The Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) looked terrible in July but it's perked up recently, possibly due to the the part-time return of our morning marine layer

I wish I'd bought more 'Feather Falls' Carexes when I came across them last year.  They look good backed by this Phormium 'Maori Queen' and surrounded by Coprosma 'Evening Glow'.

Coprosma 'Evening Glow' (left) has done much better than C. 'Fire Burst' (right), which is prone to bare legs

Some of my Phormium 'Maori Queen' look great, like the 2 shown here, but I may remove 2 others that have gradually been enveloped by Lomandra and just look messy

Centaurea 'Silver Feather' looks better since I cut back its floppy flower stems

The 'Copper Glow' Leptospermums on either side of the front walk always look good but they still need a good pruning

Even with 2 pruning sessions a year, Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' pushes the boundaries of the spaces I've allocated to them.  I'd asked the gardeners to leave their pruning to me and had signs posted on both shrubs earlier in the year, removing them once I thought the message had an impact.  It seems they left the one on the left alone but someone recently chose to sheer the one on the right like a hedge when my husband and I were out.

Having success with coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides) in various shady areas, I've been adding more.  I successfully overwintered the 'Florida Sun Rose' (upper left) and 'Flame Thrower Chili Pepper' (upper right) last year.  Those on the bottom row, 'Stained Glassworks Velvet', 'Glennis', and 'Indian Summer', were added this year.

There were a few more plants in the front area alongside the garage that I took note of too.

With a little more cosmetic work, the Agave attenuata that suffered from "agave edema" last year when covered with tarps by the tree service pruning the Arbutus tree are looking good once again.  I've kept photos of the disfigurement of the leaves on the trunks I removed to share with the tree service on their annual visit in the fall.

Manfreda maculosa and an unknown Sedum spring back every year

I relegated this houseplant, Schefflera 'Neon', to this corner of the garden several years ago when it was in serious decline.  I fully expected it to die but it now looks pretty good with no attention from me whatsoever.

It's not that there weren't any foliage standouts elsewhere in the garden.  Here are some of those I identified:

I took this photo of a collection of Leucadendron and Grevillea in mid-July when the light was perfect.  The spiky Grevillea shrubs in front are 'Scarlet Sprite'.  The Leucadendrons include 'Chief'', 'Ebony', and 'Blush'.

I never got around to replacing Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' but I did cut it back earlier this year.  It didn't bloom at all but it's shape is more attractive now.

Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze' was my go-to grass substitute when I began planting this garden.  I've got them in both the back and the front garden areas.  As I generally grouped 3 in each spot, some of them are looking a bit cramped after all these years.  I may remove a couple of the smaller clumps this fall.

After 7 years in the ground Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' in the south-side garden has finally experienced a decent growth spurt

I hard pruned the 3 Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' shrubs shown here again this year and they've finally fleshed out again.  The Aeoniums edging this bed are in their dormant stage but most will recover once temperatures cool and rain returns.

I have varieties of Aeoniums all over my garden, some sadder than others.  The clump on the left is an unnamed Aeonium arboreum.  I believe the one on the right is A. 'Copper Penny' but it's barely recognizable at the moment.

The south-side succulent bed I renovated earlier this year is coming together, although it could use a bit of a cleanup.  This is the view from the back, focused on Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba' and A. 'Blue Flame'.  The A. ovalifolia I planted just outside the lower frame of this shot is still teeny.

Lest you think I've lost my fixation with flowers, I rely on my cutting garden for floral color at this time of year.

I didn't have room for all my dahlia tubers in the raised beds and barrels in the cutting garden (left) so some ended up in containers elsewhere (right).  The cutting garden and the containers are the only spots that are getting extra water this year.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend and, if you're in the US, happy Labor Day!

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party